


A Threesome, a Volleyball Reunion, and a Trip to the Planetarium

by chortlegalortle



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Bro-ly teasing, F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Humor, Implied Sexual Content, Kuroo is a dweeb and a romantic, M/M, Multi, Oikawa RAISED Makki and Matsukawa how dare you imply otherwise, Sexual Humor
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-07
Updated: 2020-08-25
Packaged: 2021-03-06 02:28:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 18,100
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25766002
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/chortlegalortle/pseuds/chortlegalortle
Summary: "Do you three actually want me to believe that you met at a bar last night, danced, headed back to Makki's for some apparently wild fucking as a threesome before they both realized they've been in love with each other since school and swore off any other romantic relationships, and after that they coerced you to hang out and cuddle all day while they apologized for having put you into such an awkward situation, and then they promised to make it up to you by finding a friend to introduce you to tonight?""Well, I wouldn't say-""I fucking knew it, you assholes! Are you paying her to hang out here to pull one over on me?!"--or--A foreigner is the catalyst to get Makki and Mattsun together the night before a volleyball bros night out. The three become fast friends, so the former Aoba Josai players then take it upon themselves to find her the volleyball player of her dreams at the next night's small reunion, recruiting Oikawa and some others along the way for vast amounts of teasing and bro-ly support for happy, healthy romantic relationships.
Relationships: Akaashi Keiji/Bokuto Koutarou, Hanamaki Takahiro/Matsukawa Issei, Hanamaki Takahiro/Matsukawa Issei/Original Character(s), Hinata Shouyou/Kozume Kenma, Kuroo Tetsurou/Original Female Character(s)
Comments: 2
Kudos: 25





	1. All it took was a threesome for Oikawa's OTP to successfully sail.

"Enjoy," the bartender winked, turning away from the three shots he'd just poured for them. Emily, Hanamaki, and Matsukawa grabbed them, wound their arms through each others' and tipped them back. 

Emily let out a noise of disgust, trying to rub the cloying taste off the roof of her mouth with her tongue. "What _was_ that?" Hanamaki was already waving down the bartender for another round of the violet blue alcohol. Was it glowing?

"Encouragement," Matsukawa grinned lazily, winking at her. "You were the one who said that you needed some encouragement to stick around tonight while we get a hot volleyball player to sweep you off your feet."

Her face went red, sped along by their second shot of the night. He wasn't wrong. She _had_ said that earlier in the evening when she'd been feeling particularly weirdly cozy with the two of them on Hanamaki's couch, accepting their invite out for a reunion of sorts. 

"Plus," Hanamaki began, licking his lips, "we owe you. We're buying for you all night and dutifully serving as the sexiest wingmen to exist. You can't turn us down, anyway." Another grin.

Emily groaned and hid her face in her hands, somehow mortified _and_ pleased at their commitment to being her wingmen. They were certainly sticking to their word, given that she hadn't known them until the night before. 

\---

The past 24 hours had been something Emily had never anticipated. A journal rejection after dealing with student complaints about her stiffness and "cold demeanor" had capped off the Friday afternoon, and she went straight to the bar, determined to take a night off and forget the stress of work, the loneliness of being across the world from her family and close friends, and the fact that she wasn't getting paid enough to deal with first year students. 2 gin and tonics in, she had been feeling good, reading labels on bottles at the bar, and trying to avoid scratching and rubbing at the back of her neck, which felt oddly hot and itchy. Maybe she was allergic to whatever this Japanese gin was. 

It was then that the tall, pink haired guy had sidled up to her. "Can I get you another of whatever you're drinking?" he had asked, gesturing loosely at her empty glass. His smile was wide and cheeky, and made Emily's pale cheeks flush darker. 

"Okay," she nodded, and then turned her eyes to the bar top. A few moments later, she heard the man huff through his nose, smile creeping wider and a tinge more genuine, sweet even. 

"You have to tell me what you're drinking then, beautiful," He winked.

"Gin. Gin and tonic." He raised his eyebrows, cheeky smile back in place.

"Please," she added quietly. "Also, hello. My name is Emily." 

"Where are you from?" He asked, sliding onto the stool next to her.

"The USA." 

"Your name is a little hard for Japanese." A tall man appeared, wavy black hair and wide eyes somehow pumping up the heat she'd already been feeling. He grinned at her and met the pink-haired man with a handshake, pulling him up off his stool as they embraced. They chuckled together. She watched them with interest, trying to hide the smile creeping on her own face. The charm bomb exploded when the second guy appeared. 

"Mattsun!" Pinkhaired guy looked at him with eyes that shone. 

"Makki," came the short reply, smile evident even in his voice. "Matsukawa Issei," he continued, turning to Emily with a smile. 

"Ah, I'm Hanamaki Takahiro. Mattsun and I are old friends from high school, we haven't seen each other in nearly two years, though, I think." 

"You can call me Emma. If you want. If my name is weird." She felt like an actual sunburnt lobster, darting her eyes down to stare at her cup again. 

Hanamaki pouted, thin lips pushed out as far as they could go. "We didn't say it was _weird._ I didn't take English for years in school for nothing, you know."

"Never got far above failing it, though, did you?" Matsukawa's grin was huge, fit to bursting across his whole face. He dodged the punch that came for his stomach.

She giggled. "Really. It's fine."

"Well, _Emily_ ," Matsukawa's grin was brutally handsome, "we're having a small night out, the two of us, and as you appear to have already been accosted by Makki, you're welcome to join us."

"We'd be glad for it," Makki began, "There's only so much of this dick I can take before I go insane."

"What was that about wanting to take my dick, Makki?" 

She spluttered, coughing on her drink. She hadn't anticipated a joke about sex. They both rounded on her, all sneaky smiles on their lips and in their eyes. 

"Intriguing, Emily, very intriguing. Just how are you learning Japanese that you know the word for a 'dick'?" Hanamaki grabbed her hand and dragged her gently over to a booth, Matsukawa grabbing the drinks off the bar and following.

What a first impression to give two very, very attractive men at a bar. "I work with university students. I need to try to keep up so I know whether or not they're saying awful things, at least." She let out a small laugh, taking a long swallow of her drink, feeling Matsukawa's eyes on her across the table. "Usually I learn from my friend's younger brother - he's 19 and absolutely filthy, it turns out. I think he gets off on saying dirty things to me without getting yelled at, honestly." She grinned, rolling her eyes.

Hanamaki smiled innocently. The next moment he had a wicked glint in his eye. "Do _you_ get off on it, Emma?" 

A squeak. Hot cheeks. She couldn't meet their eyes.

"Noted," smirked Matsukawa, teasing. 

It took a second for her to adjust to the two of them again. They were charming, Overwhelmingly so. It was hard to believe that they hadn't seen each other for two years, they must've been very close. Why hadn't they met for so long? 

They fell into an easy rapport; laughing and flirting was much easier as she drank more, feeling more comfortable as they tried to one up each other in telling embarrassing stories and reminiscing about their days together. Both had played volleyball, and often worked as a tag-team of real life, in-person internet trolls, it seemed. 

Hanamaki's hand had somehow made it onto her knee, lightly ghosting over the tights she wore in a way that had her wound up. She tried not to look down every time she felt it, embarrassed that this was happening in front of his obviously dear friend. However, after knowing them for only two hours, she had a hunch that this might've been _exactly_ what Hanamaki's intention was. 

He'd barely waited 10 seconds from Matsukawa's departure to the restroom and a new round of drinks to squeeze her thigh just above her knee, slip his hand in hers, and pull her over to the back of the room reserved for dancing. 

It was different, certainly. She hadn't been out with a guy in a while, worried about the distraction it could lead to when she was already overworked. But Hanamaki and Matsukawa's easy jokes and smiles and their teasing and their stories of their adventures in school and volleyball, especially, had flustered her in the best way and made her feel comfortable. Like they'd known each other for years, and she'd been there with them in high school, cheering them on through the years. Hanamaki waved their arms wildly to the music as she tried to catch her breath from laughing. 

Suddenly, she felt a hard body behind her and froze. Hot breath on her ear, whispering. "It's okay, Emily, just Matsukawa."

He plopped a cup in her hand, then let his own free hand slide down her side to rest on her hip, pulling her gently back against him as he rocked side to side. She closed her eyes and leaned against him when Hanamaki let go of other hand, presumably to go get another drink for himself. Her breath was already catching at the feel of Matsukawa grinding against her ass. She startled at the hands on her waist, opening her eyes to find Hanamaki pouting at her as he drew closer. She turned deeper red, from her neck to the tips of her ears. Then, Hanamaki's mouth was on hers and Matsukawa's was on her neck. The three of them moving and grinding and panting and sweating.

\---

"Mattsun! Makki!" came a voice. The men turned, breaking into broad smiles that warmed Emily's heart - the same genuine happiness they'd had when seeing each other last night for the first time. She stayed facing forward, already ordering a rum and coke. The caffeine and alcohol would get her through this night, or so help her...

"And who is _this_ little thing you're both hovering over, hmm? I didn't know either of you were seeing someone." 

She felt hands on her shoulders, spinning her around on the stool. He had fluffy brown hair, a mischievous smile, and a slightly different aura of charm than Hanamaki and Matsukawa. 

"Whose girlfriend is she? You should have _told_ me, I would have gotten other people to bring their partners!"

In spite of his whine, his eyes were like lasers. Her smile faltered a little bit under his scrutiny and she felt far more self conscious than before about having agreed to come along on their little volleyball reunion, in spite of their promises to have a good time, watch out for her while she let loose, and find her a nice guy to maybe spend some time with. What was wrong with wanting those things?

"Hello. I'm Emily. You can call me Emma if you like." 

The new man's eyebrows shot up, pleasantly surprised. "What's this? Can't be Makki's girlfriend then, he barely passed English." Hanamaki flipped him off, grinning nonetheless, as a second brunette with spiked hair snorted from behind the speaker. The man with laser eyes rounded on Matsukawa, a mischievous smile in his eyes. 

"So, Mattsun, how long has this been going on?" 

"Not any of your business, Oikawa." 

"What do you _mean_ , not my business?! I raised you, Mattsun, how dare you!"

"Oh, fuck me, are you starting this already? We _just_ got here."

"Shut up, Iwa-chan! I have _every_ _right_ to know what my precious baby middle blocker is up to on the streets _and_ in the sheets."

Emily spluttered, snorting at his comment. He raised his eyebrow at her, taunting her to say something.

"That was one of the worst attempts at innuendo I've ever heard. Actually awful."

It was the man's - Oikawa's - turn to splutter in surprise, looking around frantically at the three others to explain what had happened. Who was this woman, suggesting that his joke was bad?

"This is why we brought her," Hanamaki said, laying his long arm across her shoulders. "She's not gonna just take it without saying something back, Shittykawa."

"She took it pretty good without mouthing off last night, though," drawled Matsukawa's voice. 

Emily was horrified. She saw Oikawa and Iwaizumi's jaws drop, two pairs of eyes looking between Hanamaki’s arm, her own tomato-red face, and Matsukawa’s sly smirk. She covered her face, not drunk enough yet to deal with this. 

" _What_?!" 

This time it was Hanamaki answering. "Well, Oikawa, if you _must_ know, she couldn't say anything even if she had _wanted_ to, because of the panties I stuffed in her mou-" 

"Holy shit, Hiro! _Don't_!" She flung her hand out to strike him in the stomach. He bent over, winded, but still cackling breathily.

She risked a glance at the others, a teensy bit delighted that this Iwaizumi had gone completely pink while Oikawa just gaped, still looking back and forth at them all, never settling on one person's face for long.

"We both know that you can beg better than that, Emily," came Matsukawa's deep voice, smirk everpresent. 

"For the love of God, Matt, _please."_ She glared at him, trying to stab at his stomach with her fingers. "I don't know these guys and I am mortified and _I will leave._ " 

Hanamaki wrapped his arms around her, ignoring Oikawa's strangled echoes of " _Hiro_?!" " _Matt_?!", resting his head on her shoulder and pouting. "But you promised, Emily. We'll make it up to you for what happened last night and see if you hit it off with any of our friends."

Oikawa couldn't take it anymore. "What the _fuck_ is going on Makki?"

"We're not going to set her up with you, though, Oikawa, she's too good for you." 

"Yeah, stick to Iwa-chan." 

"Fuck off," came Iwaizumi's voice, glowering at Matsukawa. Iwaizumi met her eyes and leaned in a bit more. "Miss, have they been harassing you for a while? We're really sorry, they're incorrigible. We were a little late. We'll go get a table and make sure that they don't go near you again."

She blinked. 

"Oi, what do you mean by that, Iwaizumi?"

"Since when do we _harass_ people?" 

Iwaizumi gave her a kind smile before grabbing Hanamaki and Matsukawa by the ears, pinching hard and pulling them away. Oikawa gaped for a few more seconds, blinked, turned pink at the tops of his ears, and nodded a quick "sorry" at her before he spun on his heel and rushed over to the table, yelling at them.

She downed the rest of her rum and coke and headed to the restroom. Incorrigible indeed. Jesus Christ. _What_ were they _thinking_? Okay, so it _had_ been a bit of a crazy night, turned cozy morning after, turned early dinner before arriving at the bar. Definitely not the path she'd intended to set herself down last night. Sighing, she meandered over to join them at the booth they'd chosen, sliding in next to Hanamaki as it went quiet again. 

"So, Emily, was it? Can you confirm something for me?" 

She nodded at Oikawa. 

"Do you three actually want me to believe that you met at a bar last night, danced, headed back to Makki's for some apparently _wild_ fucking as a threesome before they both realized they've been in love with each other since school and swore off any other romantic relationships, and then coerced you to hang out and cuddle all day while they apologized for having put you into such an awkward situation, and _then_ they promised to make it up to you by finding a friend to introduce you to tonight?"

"Well, I wouldn't say-"

"I fucking _knew_ it, you assholes! Are you paying her to hang out here to pull one over on me?!"

"Ah, Oikawa, right?" She waited for his attention to return to her. "I, uh, wouldn't say that I was _coerced_ into anything, really." She was so red and so warm, and somehow she couldn't keep a grin off of her face at the dumbstruck look on his face. "Otherwise all true, actually, yes. That is what happened."

Hanamaki cackled, nudging Iwaizumi with his foot. "Isn't she _great?"_

It took Oikawa a moment before he spoke again. _"_ I seriously did not expect this. I know you two are literal real life trolls, but, wow. Consider me impressed. I am _impressed_. " 

"I'm just glad she doesn't hesitate to hit either of you when you deserve it." 

"A role reversal after last night _is_ a bit refreshing, isn't it, Makki, my love?"

"Oh yes, Mattsun, dearest."

She groaned, flopping her head forward on the table. "You couldn't give me 10 minutes to let them believe I was normal? 10 minutes! That's all I wanted! I'm already losing some major points with anyone I meet tonight for being associated with _you two,_ obviously, but _come_ _on_. If you keep this shit up, I am leaving. Seriously." 

"But you find us charming."

"You can't say no to us, _clearly_!" 

She glowered. "Watch me." 

Matsukawa patted her head gently, still unable to wipe the grin off his face. "Okay, okay, we'll back off. We'll calm down."

"Well, then, Emi-chan," Oikawa began, as if the nickname hadn't come out of nowhere, and as if he hadn't been flabbergasted by everything that had happened so far. "We're pleased to have you join us. Now that I know we have a mission, we're set. I never back down from a challenge. We'll help you have a great night!" 

"Thanks, I guess." 

"Now - what's your type?" Oikawa's eyes sparkled. Iwaizumi rolled his eyes and sighed, exasperated but unable to fight back a smile. “Do we want a one night stand? A relationship? What's your job? Are you staying in Japan forever? When did you move here? Do you speak other languages? How tall does he have to be? How much do you know about volleyball? Does position matter?" 

A snicker from Hanamaki. She slapped her hand over his mouth, glaring at Matsukawa across the table to shut him up non-verbally. Oikawa raised an intrigued eyebrow. "How about volleyball position _and_ sex position, then?" His smile was sneaky and teasing. No wonder he got along with Hanamaki and Matsukawa. 

She sent a pleading look towards Iwaizumi, who was very clearly the most normal of the bunch. He shrugged, smiling indulgently at Oikawa. 

She was really, _really_ starting to regret going along with Hanamaki and Matsukawa’s whims to bring her along and set her up. 

\---

An hour later found Emily and Hanamaki on the dancefloor, singing in each other's faces and laughing like maniacs. It was hot. She felt sweaty as she held up her rum and coke out of the way and they wiggled around and rubbed against each other. She had escaped the clutches of Oikawa and company about a twenty minutes prior, dragging Hanamaki with her to dance under the lower lights. Oblivious to the rest of the bar.

Oikawa Tooru, however, was a man with a mission. His OTP had finally sailed, after years of trying to give them opportunities together alone in high school, sneakily asking about their friendship since graduation, especially after they'd all managed to see each other back in Miyagi at New Years more than two years ago. If Makki and Mattsun liked her so much and wanted to keep her around, he would do his damnedest to figure out who she'd fit best with. He was a good judge of character, quick to figure out someone's habits and quirks. Analyzing people was old hat for him, a part of his nature that let him excel as a volleyball setter and captain. Of course, she _had_ answered his questions eventually, with a bit more to drink, and that did help him narrow down the options. Dark features. Any height, but definitely more attracted the taller they were. Quick-witted and funny. Smart and dedicated to their job, or hobbies, or family, or any combination thereof. Someone who _cared_ about things and wanted to do their best, she had said. 

He'd been musing over possibilities as friends and former rivals filed into the bar, slapping backs, shaking hands, even hugging every so often. Oikawa himself was particularly excited to spend some time with the former captains - they'd become pretty close at the end of high school, sharing memories, annoying each other, and providing some emotional support as the bitterness of the end their time playing in high school arrived and they all stepped forward to a new chapter. He was only a _little_ miffed that it had all come around thanks to Dai-san and the connections that Karasuno had in Miyagi and in Tokyo. 

He was sitting with Sawamura Daichi and Sugawara Koushi. As of yet, as far as Oikawa knew, the two were still nursing infuriatingly huge crushes on each other without the will to move forward. Maybe they could make like Makki and Mattsun and realize it finally. They were now in place as his #1 OTP. He'd work on that after tonight. He hid a grin as he sighed dramatically.

"Anyway, Dai-san, Mr. Refreshing." They raised eyebrows. "When are you two going to stop suffering and just _get together,_ " he stated blandly. 

"Fuck off, _Tooru_ ," came Daichi's voice, glaring. 

"So glad you could make it, Oikawa." Good old Mr. Refreshing, so good at redirecting the topic. 

"Well, if you two aren't going to get together," Oikawa began, "you are obligated to help me help someone _else_ get together. No buts." 

"And who is it that we're helping?" asked Sugawara. 

Oikawa smiled his best innocent smile and gestured with his thumb to the dance floor behind him. 

"Hanamaki? Your kouhai from school?"

"No." 

"Okay, but I don't see any one else I recognize up there with him, so?" asked Daichi, trailing off.

"The woman he's with." 

Suga sighed. "That doesn't make any sense, Oikawa, they are _very clearly_ _getting along_." Very clearly indeed, Daichi affirmed with a nod, watching their bodies pressed against each other. "Why do you want to intrude?"

Oikawa smirked. "They're not together. Just good friends."

"Oh?" Daichi asked. "How long have they known each other?"

Oikawa's smirk grew, enjoying the dance around the subject. It _was_ fun to tease people, he supposed, mentally waving off the way Mattsun and Makki had behaved earlier. "About 24 hours."

Suga's eyebrows shot up as he looked at Oikawa again. "Huh?"

"It's not _really_ my story to tell," Oikawa hinted, "but the details are _riveting."_ He winked.

Suga sat up straighter, his curiosity peaked. "What's that mean? You're going to bait us with that?"

"Suga," came Daichi's warning to calm down his eagerness and not get roped into Oikawa's mischief. "So you're telling me that you want to set up someone you don't know with one of your old friends? Couldn't that backfire badly? It'd be kind of awkward if it didn't work out."

Oikawa sighed. "Obviously I am aware that throwing a woman at someone is not necessarily a good idea, but I have _faith_. In myself. And my choices." His smile was back.

"Okay, so how are we required to help then?"

"If you must know, Dai-san, I thought that I would like your opinions of who might be best with her."

More eyebrows straight to the top of the forehead. "Oh, really? You trust my judgment better than your own, Oikawa?" 

"I didn't say that. I think you know some of these people better than me. Like those Tokyo guys." 

"Hmm." 

"My intentions are pure, okay?" Oikawa confessed, a little embarrassed. "Iwa-chan and I got here an hour ago, we talked with the three of them. She's fun and smart, she likes to laugh. But more than that, she made Makki and Mattsun really happy."

" _I'd_ say - the woman sucks dick like a goddess." Daichi's eyes shot to the newly arrived Matsukawa, gaping. He frowned.

"Jesus, Oikawa, I thought you said she wasn't with someone." 

"She's _not_ , I'm telling you the truth!" 

"Knowing about being friends with benefits with someone already is important if you're trying to set her up with a friend!" 

Matsukawa sat down next to Oikawa, grinning. "Not that either. While I'd gladly give the details, let's just say that me and Makki taking her home last night led to some romantic revelations, and Makki and I are in it together for the long haul. With each other. Not with her." 

Suga grinned at him, while Daichi continued to make a hilarious face, still confused. "Congratulations."

"Thank you, Mr. Refreshing."

"You can't call him that, Mattsun, it's my nickname for him."

He rolled his eyes. "Thank you, _Mr. Refreshing_."

"Fuck you."

"Nah, I'm taken now, Shittykawa, just focus on continuing to woo Iwaizumi. It'll work out. It finally made sense to me and Makki. It'll make sense for the two of you." 

Oikawa was stunned, suddenly pale and spluttering. Since when was Mattsun this weirdly kind and encouraging about Oikawa's very, very obvious feelings for his best friend? He smiled, genuinely this time, trying to contain his excitement at having received what was effectively his friend's blessing. 

" _Thank_ you, Matts-"

"Maybe you just need a threesome with Emily to get him to figure it out."

Sugawara snorted and fell into giggles and Daichi bit his lip to not laugh at Oikawa's face. His reactions were priceless. Same as his surprise in matches - very sought after and very satisfying to see.

"We will _not_ be doing that, _Mattsun_! How can you just whore out your new friend like that?"

"Isn't that what you were just talking to us about, though, Oikawa?" asked Suga. 

Matsukawa grinned. Oikawa was taking it seriously. _Good_. He'd spare him having to explain any more then.

"Basically," Matsukawa began, "We really like her. We've spent the past 24 hours together : first we had what was genuinely _the wildest sex of my life_ last night-" 

"Ugh, Mattsun, don't pop a boner at the table!" 

"Just laying out the facts, Oikawa! Anyway, it was... _intense_ and resulted in me and Makki realizing that we've loved each other since ... forever. So, we properly confessed and had some more sex while she slept in Makki's guest room. Then all three of us spent most of the rest of today cuddled up watching movies on the couch with popcorn, talking and learning some more about each other. We were feeling pretty guilty about having dragged her around and having put her into such an admittedly weird situation, so we convinced her to come with us tonight and we'd get her set up with someone we knew she'd get along with. She gave in eventually - Makki's really cute when he's begging, you know." 

"Ugh, please don't-"

"We swung by a shop to get her that dress so she's looking unbelievably fine, as you see, and then went back to Makki's with pizza, before the reunion drinks out. Thus," at this, Matsukawa's arms spread, "you find here - in this very venue - the three of us, Crowmom and Crowdad."

"Wow." 

"We haven't known her long, obviously, but she's wheedled her way into my cold black heart really fast as someone precious. We do want her to be happy, both because she wound up being a part of the resolution of feelings for the two of us, but also because she's a wonderful woman whose company we enjoy. She's pretty shy and has only a few friends here in Tokyo. She'll have more after tonight, but we've spent the day urging her to try for an actual romantic relationship." 

The table fell silent. It was unusual to see Matsukawa like this, with fondness in his eyes and honesty on his tongue as he glanced back towards the dance floor, watching his boyfriend twirl their new friend around. 

"So, not a one-night stand then. Does she have a type?" 

Grinning, Matsukawa winked and replied to Daichi, "Like myself, boys: Tall, dark, and handsome." 

Suga snorted. Daichi rolled his eyes. 

Oikawa jumped in, "And it can't be Iwa-chan!"

"Obviously, Oikawa, we're all very aware of your feelings." 

"Good. That's what I thought." Sometimes Daichi wondered if it were possible to roll his eyes harder than he did whenever he was talking to Oikawa. 

"So. Let's get down to business. We want tall, dark, and handsome," Oikawa continued. "He has to be intelligent, for sure - she's a university professor! Isn't that impressive?" 

"She liked us right off the bat, so definitely someone fun, who likes to tease and joke around."

"Less of a memelord though, if you please," suggested Oikawa, disdain dripping from his voice.

Matsukawa scoffed, "As if anyone could match up to the level of me and Makki." 

Daichi rolled his eyes, again, but was unable to fight off a smile. Was it just the Aoba Josai guys who were this absurd? Maybe. His old teammates were certainly characters, but they weren't like ... _this_. Maybe Tanaka and Noya. He watched Matsukawa smile kindly at them all, stand, and head to the bar. 

This was indeed an interesting situation they'd found themselves in, those at the center of the story, certainly, and also the rest of them roped into trying to assist in making this new person feel welcomed and happy. Daichi would go talk to her and get a proper feel for her personality later. He may not be Oikawa, but he thought he could read people pretty well. For now, he only had what Oikawa and Matsukawa told them to go off of. 

"Hmm."

"Any ideas, Daichi?" 

"I'm thinking about it." 

Suga nodded and turned to Oikawa, asking how his training had been recently. Daichi scanned the crowd, catching the Iron Wall from Dateko tapping their beer glasses against those that Terushima and Ennoshita held. Ennoshita might be a good option, Daichi mused, but maybe too reserved to start? He wasn’t sure how he was with women. Terushima was certainly as fiendish as the Aoba Josai men she'd connected with so well, but maybe he wasn’t really “dark” enough. How was he supposed to weigh the importance of these criteria anyway? 

"Hey, Oi-" he began to ask, but was stopped by a "Hey, hey, hey!" alarmingly close to his ear. Akaashi Keiji winced at the noise and slid into the booth next to Suga. Bokuto Koutarou dragged a chair over from a nearby table, bright smile warming his face. Daichi was mid-greeting when he caught sight of the other man approaching, having left Karasuno's precious Hinata Shouyou and Nekoma's own Kozume Kenma to fend for themselves.

_Bingo_. 

He kicked Oikawa's shin - "the _fuck_ , Dai-san!" - and smiled when he caught his eye, nodding towards the big, messy-haired man shoving Oikawa further along the bench to sit next to him. 

Oh. _Oh_. 

Oikawa grinned, then promptly kicked Daichi back. He threw his arm around the newcomer's shoulders, receiving a curious smile and a raised eyebrow in return. 

"Well, _hello_ , Kuroo Tetsurou..." Oikawa purred, elongating every syllable.


	2. The falsity of Kuroo's occasional suave playboy demeanor is exposed.

Kuroo was terrified. He didn't know how to escape. Bokuto had come up to the bar with him. They took a shot together, he placed his drink into Kuroo’s free hand, and then promptly turned him towards the dance floor while he held both drinks, grinning like a maniac while clapping him on the shoulder and wishing him good luck before turning to go back to the table. Kuroo's eyes followed him, confused. _What_? Oikawa and Suga were grinning, giving Bokuto a thumbs up. It had been a secret plan, apparently. _Wow_ , Bokuto. Great job being a friend. Definitely cool to leave your favorite bro out to dry. He stared at the table - all five of his friends were grinning, giving thumbs up, flapping their hands to encourage him towards the other end of the room. He sighed, unable to find it in his heart to move. 

"Get a fucking _move_ on, Rooster-chan!" God damned Oikawa.

"Go for it!" God damned Daichi. 

He frowned as his cheeks became red and hot. The five of them were not subtle in the fucking _slightest_ , but what was he expecting? His friends had never been subtle, not in high school and not now. Even _Akaashi_ was snickering. He breathed deeply with his eyes closed and made his way very slowly towards the mass of writhing bodies. His head was reeling from the past 10 minutes. How had this happened? 

He had been sitting next to Oikawa for all of 2 seconds before the man had turned his suspicious smile towards him, inquiring whether or not he was seeing anyone. No, he wasn't, thanks, what brings a man such as Oikawa to be so interested in relationships other than his own at the moment? How bizarre and unusual that he'd wanted to know about Kuroo's little life like this! Oikawa had pouted dramatically, huffing his annoyance as Bokuto chuckled. 

"Well, _Rooster-chan_ , would you be _potentially_ interested in _potentially_ pursuing one with someone that even I, Oikawa Tooru, acknowledge is _potentially_ quite the catch? _Potentially_?"

His eyebrows went up as he watched Oikawa's face. Suspicious. He looked across towards Daichi and Suga, also smiling at him, the latter nodding encouragingly. _Very_ suspicious. 

"I know Iwaizumi, so I am pretty sure that we don't have the same taste in men, Oikawa." 

"What about women then?" 

"Oh ho, what's this? There's a woman you're interested in?"

"No one before Iwa-chan," Oikawa provided. "However, I _do_ think she's ... interesting." 

"A ringing endorsement."

"Who's this, Oikawa?" Bokuto was intrigued, leaning forward to hear better over the music. "Someone here tonight?"

"She's over there dancing," Suga answered, nodding his head. Bokuto had a clear view of the dance floor from his chair next to the booth. Before he even asked, Suga continued, grinning, "She's in the black dress, next to the two very tall guys with pink hair and black hair." 

Kuroo watched Bokuto and Akaashi's faces curiously, unwilling to turn around to take a peek himself. Bokuto turned very red at the tips of his ears, his mouth slightly open. Intriguing. Akaashi's eyebrows were raised, taking a glance at Kuroo and then back to the dance floor, light pink dusting his cheeks. _Very_ intriguing.

"'Next to,' you say, Suga?" asked Akaashi, his face almost back to its normal serene typicality, except a single raised eyebrow.

Suga snickered. "What?"

"Nothing, it's not _inaccurate_. I just would've used the more precise word ' _between_ ' if it had been me."

Kuroo's head snapped around, turning in his seat to catch a view of the dancers. It only took him a moment to find them - the two former players were easily the tallest ones there. _Holy shit_. 

_That_ was her? Oikawa's "interesting" woman? Her head was thrown back as she laughed up at the black haired guy with intense eyebrows while he shimmied her hips against him, always pulling her closer to his chest. Her head came to rest against his shoulder. The short heels helped make it an easier task, though Kuroo figured her very, very nice legs must've been tired from dancing around. She was gorgeous. He could feel his face and neck go hot, a little ashamed at how closely his eyes watched her thighs as Pinkhair grabbed her away and spun her around, the hem of the dress pushing upwards as she straddled his knee and they rocked back and forth. He could see something dark on her pale leg for a moment. Her dark hair was pulled back, a few waves escaping a loose bun. Eyebrows turned to look around the room, eyes heavily lidded, grinning slowly when he landed on their table and caught Kuroo's eyes.

Kuroo didn't know if he'd ever whipped his head around as fast as that, mortified that this friend of a friend had caught him practically ogling him and the other two. He tried to calm down, grabbing the glass of water from in front of Oikawa and chugging it down quickly. Oikawa cackled and Suga closed his eyes and laughed. Daichi smirked at him. Akaashi, face as neutral as ever, grabbed Bokuto's cheeks and turned his head back towards the table - it seemed the ace couldn't stop staring. 

" _What_?" Kuroo breathed out. "I - What - What do -" He breathed back in and out again, controlling his voice. "That was _embarrassing_ , guys. Eyebrows over there is probably coming over to murder me any minute for checking out his girl." 

"Oh? Is big, bad Rooster-chan scared of someone his size for once?" 

"Fuck off, Oikawa. _Not cool._ "

"I'll protect you, don't worry."

"Fuck off."

"Just because you say it so much doesn't mean I will."

"It's not a funny joke, man." 

"It wasn't a joke. That's her. She's interesting. I want to - _we_ want to set you up," Oikawa said, gesturing between himself and Daichi and Suga. 

"I'm not going to fucking go after a woman with a boyfriend, you assholes." He frowned. "Boyfriends, maybe?” he wondered aloud. “In any case, you're assholes."

"They're not together." 

"Yeah, okay."

"Really," Daichi said. "Oikawa's a sneaky bastard, but I wouldn't trick you about a woman when I know how hesitant you actually are about relationships."

Kuroo frowned. A fair point. Probably, anyway. Probably would be a stronger point if he weren't still horribly embarrassed. 

"Okay, they're not together. But they obviously intend to be. She's basically _riding his thigh_!" he hissed in response and tried to murder Oikawa with his glare when he heard a high-pitched " _Jealous_!" sung out. 

"Also no." Suga this time. "Not intending to be together. Look again." He rolled his eyes at Kuroo's exasperated look. "I promise it's fine." 

Kuroo leveled a stare at the two former Karasuno men, before sighing and turning around to look. This time he found Pinkhair in the middle, the woman still on his thigh, arms wrapped around his neck, and Eyebrows grinding behind the man, holding his hips tightly to his own. He caught his eye again, still grinning, and threw a wink their way. Kuroo's eyebrows furrowed as he turned back around. 

"Okay..." he trailed off, looking at Daichi, Suga, and then Oikawa. "Explain." 

"But it's much more fun to tease, Rooster-chan. Plus, I hear she _likes_ it." 

Kuroo choked, blush returning full force. "Jesus, Oikawa." 

"Well, I _did_ hear it!"

"She's a _goddess_ , isn't she, Kuroo?" asked Suga, a mischievous smile on his face. Daichi choked on his beer this time and then shot Suga a scandalized glance. Oikawa seemed pleased by Suga's comment, however, and Kuroo was a little too slow to realize that that in and of itself was a very worrisome reaction.

Bokuto thankfully jumped in. "Can someone tell me what's going on? Because she's hot as shit, and so are those two, and they're all over each other. But you said you wanted to set Kuroo up with her? Bros don't let bros steal another guy's girl, you know." He nodded, straightfaced. Akaashi was rolling his eyes, sliding his hand onto his partner's knee to calm him down a little.

Oikawa grimaced. "I can't even try to tease you with a clean conscience, Bokuto-chan, you're too pure and wonderful. Stop sticking up for Kuroo." Bokuto beamed at the compliment, slapping Kuroo painfully on the back.

"Listen, if any of you actually want me to talk to that ‘ _goddess_ ,’ then you better explain what the fuck is going on." 

Oikawa sighed as Daichi gave in. "She met Matsukawa and Hanamaki, the two of Oikawa's former teammates who are up there dancing, last night. They had an interesting evening together, and they're friends now. Matsukawa and Hanamaki really want her to meet someone they'll trust with her, and me and Oikawa think you fit the bill perfectly." 

He raised an eyebrow in response, crossing his arms over his chest. "And why is that? Why me? There's loads of us here tonight, you know." Maybe there was still a way out. He wasn’t great with romance, preferring to stick to volleyball, his friends and family, and books. Talking to men and women with intent to be with them in a relationship sent a big jumble of confusion and nerves to his stomach, and he’d never met anyone who he ever really thought about dating longterm. Usually his interest was mild at best, he’d give it a go thanks to the encouragement of his friends, and things fizzled to nothing within a month. Mostly he preferred to put on a show of confidence and let people think he was some playboy instead so he didn’t have to entertain any serious interest.

Suga grinned and started counting off on his fingers. "Tall, dark, handsome. Smart. Passionate about their interests - even if it _is_ chemistry..." 

"Funny, quick-witted. Mattsun and Makki never turn off their obnoxious jokes and teasing, which is annoying, but it would seem she likes it," Oikawa continued. "The four of us and Iwa-chan drank and hung out earlier. She's a little shy at first, but her confidence and teasing are very charming once they hit, I admit." 

_That_ was shy? His face heated up again, embarrassed. "I'm not some smooth motherfucker, you guys. I don't think -" 

"That's fine, I have it on good authority that she likes it rough." Suga snorted at Oikawa's comment. 

"She told you what kind of sex she likes when she first met you? How bold. Doesn’t seem shy to me.” Now Akaashi, _he_ was a reasonable person. 

Oikawa waved him off. "Nah, Mattsun and Makki made it a point to tease her about their threesome in front of us when me and Iwa-chan arrived." 

Silence.

"What? I'm serious!" 

"Jesus _Christ_ , Oikawa."

"I'm just telling you where I heard it!" 

"You don't need to give us such gruesome details!" 

"There weren't even any! What are you, 14?!" Oikawa sneered. "People have sex! Sex sex sex. Fuck fuck fuck. Nipples. Spanking. Tongues. Bondage. Orgas-" Kuroo's hand clapped over Oikawa's mouth. 

"Oh my god. _Please_ stop. I need a drink." Kuroo ran his hand down his face, mind running a mile a minute. 

"I'll go with you! Let's do a shot at the bar, bro." 

And thus, Kuroo now found himself standing by the bar with two drinks in hand - Bokuto had indeed abandoned him after their shots. Kuroo swallowed hard and finally pressed forward until he reached the edge of the dance floor, watching as Pinkhair twirled her again. Eyebrows noticed him and sent a smirk his way, then nodded slightly in invitation. Kuroo inhaled deeply and inched his way forward, cringing internally. This was going to be so, so uncomfortable. He was not good at this. But he could try, right? He'd knocked back some alcohol, his friends believed in him, and the worst outcomes right now was temporary embarrassment or his friends' presumed future gloating and teasing.

"Hey. I'm Matsukawa, I went to Aoba Josai with Hanamaki here and Oikawa and Iwaizumi." 

Pinkhair - Hanamaki - caught the woman by the shoulders and looked Kuroo up and down, smiling. "Are you a Tokyo guy?"

"Yeah," Kuroo began, "I was captain at Nekoma, graduated the same year as you all did. The captains had a group text back then, so I've known Oikawa for a while I guess." They smiled and nodded at him. He tried to avoid the gaze of the woman in front of him, feeling the blush he’d been trying to fight off creep back up his neck. "He's such a pain in the ass, I seriously don't know how you survived three years with him as a teammate."

Hanamaki let out a laugh, "You've just gotta know how to handle him." 

"Browbeat him with memes and puns, make him squirm with dirty jokes." 

"It's kind of fun, actually," a quieter, feminine voice came. "To see him get all flustered. He clearly doesn't expect anyone to get the jump on him." She was smiling at him. _Holy shit_ , she was _smiling_ at him. "I'm Emily. You can call me Emma if it's easier, I know my name isn't always easy if you don't speak English." 

Oh _shit_ , she was foreign. She had an accent and a few cute little mistakes in her Japanese. _Fuck_. He bit back a groan at how her voice needled at his stomach and made his heart race, but was unable to stop blushing. "Kuroo Tetsurou," he supplied, bowing stiffly. "Oikawa, he, uh, mentioned that you all have been up here a while and might be thirsty, so I... uh..."Could he _be_ any more awkward? " _Are_ you thirsty?" he asked. 

"She's _thirsty_ for more than just a _drink_ , Kuroo," snickered Matsukawa with another wink. "But I see you only have two glasses, so I believe Makki and I shall go acquire our own refreshing beverages and check in with our dearest captain." He patted Emily's head affectionately when she tried to jab him in the gut as he walked by, then laced his fingers with Hanamaki’s and gently pulled him to the bar with a smile.

Kuroo felt a tentative touch on his hand, looked down, and saw her smile. 

"Thank you, Kuroo. That's nice of you. I guess I've been over here longer than I thought. Can we go out on the patio?" 

He nodded dumbly, following her outside to the paved space attached to the back of the bar. He risked a glance back at his friends and found them all high-fiving each other and laughing. At least they'd be farther away from _them_. Plus, the breeze felt nice. He smiled and handed her the glass.

"Oikawa put you up to it, huh?" 

He blinked, confused.

"I know they're trying to set me up," she continued. "Oikawa feels duty-bound to do so, after he found out that Hiro and Matt are finally together. They wanted to pick the guy themselves and torment him first, so I'd say you got off pretty easy with Oikawa." She grinned at him, the corners of her eyes crinkling, and his heart already felt ready to burst. How was he supposed to handle this?

"Well," he began, "I don't know that I would say _that_. There was _definitely_ some teasing. Suga and Daichi even got in on it, sneaky Crows. Ah, it's - those two were on a rival team of Oikawa and everyone's in school in Miyagi - Karasuno. But my own school in Tokyo had long been their rival with the former coach, and it started up again my third year. That's how I met everyone."

She nodded along amicably, taking a sip of her drink. "What position did you play?" 

"Middle blocker." 

"Wow. Impressive."

He flushed anew, looking down at her. "Thanks." 

"Actually, I have no idea what that means, sorry," she giggled. "I assume you... block things?"

He cracked a grin back. "Yeah, you stand right at the net, jump up, and try to block the ball from coming over when the other team hits it. It's very satisfying when you stop a spiker though, _especially_ Bokuto. I guess you haven't met him, but he was in the Top 5 in the country back in our last year. He's playing pro now, as are a handful of the other guys we know. Oikawa, for example." She nodded. "Did you, uh, play any sports?" 

"No, I didn't. I went for music instead, but have always wondered what it'd be like to play a team sport. I have secret dreams of rugby stardom, you see." 

"Oh. Really?" 

"Yeah, I love how intense and full on it is. But I bruise like a peach and am a total wimp about pain, so it's probably very unwise," she laughed. It was a nice laugh. Were his ears ringing? Because he felt like his hears were ringing. He had to take a chance, right? They said she liked teasing. He could do it. He could tease.

"Oh? I hear that that concern doesn't apply to _all_ areas of your life," he began, leaning down close to whisper in her ear, " _especially_ in the bedroom." He quickly stood back up and watched her eyes go huge as she stared up at him, startled. She flushed a bright red across her cheeks and her chest as he smirked down at her. _Jackpot_.

"Those _motherfuckers,"_ she whispered, embarrassed _. "_ If they had _any_ shame, I'd tease them right back, you know? But they _don't_. Zero shame. And even if they did, it's not even fair, because they're fucking _together_ now so it's not even _possible_ to mortify them in front of a crush or someone hot or anything. Rude."

Kuroo barked out a laugh, pleased. She was certainly intriguing, Oikawa hadn't been lying. She smiled at him, laughing quietly as well as she took another sip. 

"So you think I'm hot then?" He smiled wickedly at her.

"Yes.”

A pause. She looked up at him, knocked back the rest of her drink, walked away to place the glass on an empty table, and came back, eyes smoldering. Kuroo felt hot. Was it too hot outside now? Maybe he just needed to finish his drink too? Sure, that would help. He did the same. 

“And yes.”

“Huh?”

"For earlier." 

"I don't-"

"About the _bedroom,_ Kuroo."

 _Holy shit._ _Sexy_. Kuroo swallowed. He bit back a rush of his arousal, thrown off by her bold flirting. 

Then she covered her red face with her hands. _Adorable_. He was laughing, pulling at her hands to get them away from her face, wholeheartedly charmed.

She cleared her throat quietly. “So what do you do now, Kuroo? You didn’t go pro?”

“No, I never really intended to. I do still play in a community league, though.”

“That’s great!”

“Yeah,” he smiled, holding onto her hands. “I’m really lucky. Bokuto’s fiance Akaashi, and Daichi, who I mentioned before, also play. It’s nice to play together on one team now instead of against each other like when we all met.” 

She sent him a warm smile, her face still red. "It's wonderful you're still good friends after all this time. What do you do when you're not playing volleyball then?" 

"I do pharmaceutical research, actually.” He caught her furrowed brow. “Uh, medicines?" 

"Oh, wow! How cool! Like, you're in a big lab and wear goggles and a white coat and play with beakers?!" 

"More or less, yeah. I enjoy it, but sometimes I wish I had a little more face to face contact, like if I had been a proper pharmacist or something, you know? I'm a pretty social person. I even like small talk, usually. What about you, Emily? What do you do? When did you come here to Japan?" 

"Oh no, is my accent that bad? I know I don't look Japanese, but I've been really trying! And usually alcohol helps me talk, honestly. I can be quite shy and self-conscious. Don't look at me like that - you've been hearing _very limited_ information about me, Kuroo! It's embarrassing. But I really am quite shy. I never would've dreamed of approaching Hiro and Matt and _definitely_ not you."

He frowned. "What's wrong with me?" 

"No! No, that's not what I - I mean because I find you so attractive. You're like, exactly my type, okay? Like a proper 10, or something. Way out of my league." Everything had spilled out in a rush. Now they were both red again. Kuroo squeezed her hands gently, looking down at her. 

"That's very silly, Emily. I mean I'm _very_ flattered, but if anyone is moving in crowds they don't belong in, it's definitely me. I think you're probably the most beautiful woman I've ever met." He grinned, glancing at her exposed skin as she flushed darker just below her collarbone. "Tell me what you do for work. Why you came here."

"I took a postdoctoral position last year, at University of Tokyo. It's a three year position, and I might be able to apply for a full professor position when it finishes. I teach in the Anthropology department, mostly first year students. Introductions to Cultural Anthropology, Linguistic Anthropology, or Pacific Cultures. I do some graduate seminars as well. I've enjoyed it, but teaching through Japanese is difficult. Some of the graduate courses are done through English, so that's a bit of a relief.” 

"Wow. That's cool. A huge accomplishment! It's funny, though - that's where I went. If the timing had been different, I might have been your student."

"I'm glad you aren't." 

She was very red, and he found it enticing and satisfying to know that he had caused it. Was she too embarrassed to realize that he was still holding her hands like this? 

"I was a good student, you know. I would have behaved and done well in the class!" He chuckled. He ran his thumb over her knuckles.

She pulled her hand away to poke him in the middle of his broad chest, trying to fight a smile as she mock-glared. "That's not what I meant!"

"What did you mean, then?" 

She grabbed at his hand again, unable to meet his eyes. 

"I take very serious issue with the power imbalance between students and faculty and the romanticization of relationships with that dynamic." 

"Ah." His cupped her chin a second later, tilting her head up and pressing his lips to her warm cheek. "I would expect nothing less." He pulled back a moment, catching her eyes. "I think it's important. It's obvious you have a good head on proud, capable shoulders. It's very attractive." He pressed his lips to her other cheek, speaking quietly. "I think you're amazing, Emily." 

His heart was pounding. She looked up into his face so openly, so eagerly, as he rested his large, warm palm on the side of her neck, his thumb rubbing softly under her ear. He could feel the heat pulsing off of her skin. She was so soft, her hands, her neck. Was the rest of her soft? He wanted to find out. He wanted to kiss her. 

"Can I -"

"Kuroo! We found you!" 

\---

A redhead came bounding over out of nowhere, huge smile on his face as he slid into the space next to the two of them, another man with bleached tips and otherwise dark hair slowly following after, watching them with curious eyes. Kuroo's hand dropped away, but not before the new arrivals had seen.

"Kuroo! Who is this? Hi there!" He was already bowing at her. "I'm Hinata Shoyo! I play volleyball on the same team as Bokuto. I'm a middle blocker like Kuroo though! Kenma didn't tell me that Kuroo was dating anyone! I'm glad he brought you to our big get together!" 

Emily blinked, unable to keep a smile off her face. This guy's happiness was infectious, as was his energy. He made her want to run around and pick flowers and get caught in the rain with someone, maybe someone like Kuroo, running towards shelter together while they laughed. 

"I, uh, we just met, actually. My name is Emily. You can call me Emma if you like."

"Oh, well, Emma-chan it is! Did Kuroo actually buy you a drink first? He's all talk, you know, never actually has relationships or anything. He likes to flirt and pretends to be a suave playboy, but he's really got very little experience, so don't let him trick you! Right, Kenma?" He turned towards the other man.

The other man - Kenma - looked up at Kuroo, smirking at his red face. Seeing Kuroo embarrassed was always fun. His eyes moved away from Kuroo before he schooled his face back to neutral and nodded at Emily in way of greeting. 

"Kenma's not much of a talker, don't worry, Emma-chan! He's been Kuroo's best friend since they were kids though, so I guess you'll have to get used to it." He ignored Kuroo's open mouth to continue on. "He's the best though, super smart and perceptive and patient and level-headed when I get too excited! He makes me really happy! I'm even happier now that we live together and when I get home from away games, he's there!" 

Emily looked between them. _Oh_. 

"Anyway, hi! How's your night going? What do you like to do? Did you play volleyball too? Has Kuroo introduced you to everyone else? Let's go back inside and I'll take you to meet whoever you haven't yet!"

And then Hinata had his hand around her wrist before she could make a noise, and she followed him away, smiling despite herself, looking over her shoulder at Kuroo and Kenma. Kuroo seemed to be shrinking away from Kenma’s gaze. 

They stopped at table after table as Hinata introduced her, which actually turned out to mean that he would point out people and relate them to their role in his life somehow.

"This is Ennoshita - we played together in high school! He was captain after Daichi!" 

"Terushima was really scary when we first met, he tried to get our manager's number, and I had to protect her!" 

"Isn't Aone just huge and amazing? He’s part of the Iron Wall! We got past them though!" 

"Iwaizumi has a crazy spike, I was terrified of him when we played their team my first year! But Oikawa's scarier somehow. Where _is_ Oikawa? It’s weird he’s not here with Iwaizumi…" 

"This is Kageyama, he's my best friend, but I still kind of hate him. He's my biggest rival." 

They arrived at a booth where Emily saw Oikawa and several men she hadn't met. Oikawa saw her red face and his smile turned absolutely impish.

"Oh? Welcome back, Emi-chan. How is your evening going? Find a way to entertain yourself after Mattsun and Makki left the dancefloor?"

She heard him cackle as she went redder, glaring at him. "Shut up." 

"Well, what do you think, then?" 

"First impression? He's a 10. It’s unbelievable.”

"Thank Daichi and the rest." Oikawa nodded across the table. 

"Uh, thank you?" she asked timidly. The handsome dark-haired man across from Oikawa smiled, and the beautiful man with silver hair sat next to him was grinning, nodding at her. The third one gave her a small smile that made him look like a magazine model. Why was everyone here so damned good-looking? How was it possible? Was it a prerequisite for playing volleyball? 

Hinata was bouncing on his heels as he talked to an obviously muscular man with black and light grey spiky hair, too excited to remember that he was introducing her to everyone as they yell-talked. 

"I'm Akaashi. This is Suga and Daichi. And this guy talking to Hinata is my fiance, Bokuto."

"Oh! I heard about Bokuto!" 

All eyes turned to her. 

"Uh, Kuroo said that blocking Bokuto's spikes was the best, and Hinata mentioned playing with you as well." Bokuto's smile took up half his face. "I'm Emily. I was talking to Kuroo outside." Bokuto smiled wider somehow. 

Suga's voice was teasing, "We know. How exactly do you think he got up the nerve to go over to you in the first place?" 

They all knew. Oikawa had told them all. She wouldn't be seen by any of these people without a red face, it seemed. Did all the people at the tables know too, when she'd been whirled past them by Hinata?

"So a 10 out of 10, huh?" Suga's eyes were sparkling. "When's the first date?" 

"Kuroo likes space a lot, maybe you should go to the planetarium for a date! He'd like that!" 

"Should I tell Mattsun and Makki that they don't need to wait up for you?"

"Do you want another drink, Emily-san?"

"Kuroo's kind of a pain in the ass, honestly, so I'd say hit it and quit it." 

"Nah, he has a waffle iron. Worth staying and having a lazy morning. What? He made them for me and Kenma before."

She let out a strangled noise, covering her face in her hands to try to hide her stupid grin and red skin.

"Ask for syrup. He buys a fancy brand imported from Canada." 

"I bet you could use that syrup _tonight_ if you don't mind getting sticky."

"Even though he's smart, Kuroo's kind of an idiot, so you'd probably have to spell it out to him." 

"Kuroo's the best, he'll do anything you ask to make you happy."

"Yeah, he won't want to overstep any boundaries or anything. Just be honest with what you like or don’t like."

"Make sure you're very vocal about wanting to be spanked." 

"Oikawa! Cut it out, she looks like she's going to pass out." 

"I'm just trying to ensure she has a good night, Akaashi-san!" 

"Just _what_ are you people saying that has her looking like this?" 

She felt the cushion sink down under the weight of someone next to her, peeking out under her arm to see Kuroo's black jeans and big hands. She watched as one came to slide onto her leg and rest there, his fingers curling around her thigh and his thumb grazing over the skin above her knee lightly. It was comforting, reassuring. It made it less stressful to meet so many people at once who she hoped would like her and maybe be her friends in the future.

"If you must know _, Rooster-chan_ , we were saying nothing but delightful things." 

"Yeah, Kuroo, what kind of people do you think we are?" 

"I think you're all kind of assholes, honestly," but he was grinning at them as Emily laughed into her arms and lifted her head back up. 

They were all smiling indulgently at her or Kuroo. Even the quiet Kenma, who was placing a cup of water down in front of her. She smiled back shyly.

\---

After a while, Oikawa had gone to bother Iwaizumi and Daichi and Suga pulled Bokuto and therefore Akaashi over to dance. Hinata had dragged Kenma off, sigh noticeable, to go talk to Kageyama and Ennoshita. As Kuroo turned around from the bar with two more glasses in his hand, he noticed Hanamaki, the pink haired guy, eyeing him while mid-conversation with Emily. Kuroo decided to detour to Matsukawa, who was talking to Terushima. He swallowed and coughed to announce his presence. Terushima nodded at Kuroo. Matsukawa turned to him with a smirk, raising an eyebrow.

“Oh, hello there, _Kuroo Tetsurou_. Have you brought me and Teru some drinks?”

“Ah, no, actually. Sorry, Eyebrows. I just got kind of scared off from returning to my original destination by your other half.”

“Oh? You think Makki’s scary?”

“You didn’t see the way he was looking at me. Genuinely thought if I sat down he might pour this beer on my head as soon as I put it down,” but Kuroo was grinning.

“Pfft, Makki’s a wuss,” came Terushima’s voice. “Can’t even beat Iwaizumi in arm wrestling. Matsukawa’s the one you have to watch out for.”

“Hmm.”

“What’s he going to beat you up for? Are you trying to edge in on that girl he’s talking to?”

“Ah, you might say that…”

“I’ll show you how it's done. Tongue piercing always gets the hot ones going anyway.” With that Terushima slapped his hand on the table, stuck out his pierced tongue, smirked at them, and went straight to the booth.

Kuroo’s eyebrows were nearly in his hairline. “Not going to say anything?”

“Nah,” grinned Matsukawa, “why should I? He’ll find out in a minute anyway. What’s up? Are you really freaked out by Makki?”

“Ah, not too much. He was staring at me something fierce though.”

“He likes her a lot. I think they were talking about asshole exes when I was showering earlier, he’s probably just being protective.”

“Do I have to pass some sort of Aoba Josai boyfriend test to get your approval?”

Matsukawa chuckled slowly. “I’d say you’ve passed Oikawa’s already, and he’s a pretty good judge of people, frankly. If Emily’s interested, we’re good.”

“Cool.” Look cool in front of her friends, Kuroo. Try and act cool. “That’s cool.”

Matsukawa hadn’t stopped laughing. “You’re a character. Not what I expected.”

“What does that mean?”

“Would’ve thought you’d be more confident, I guess, former captain of a top team and all.” He shrugged, then smirked. “The two of you looked like high schoolers on the patio and in that booth, blushing all over the place.”

“I’m worried about messing up.”

“If it doesn’t go anywhere, it doesn’t go anywhere, dude. We’re not trying to get her married off overnight or anything. Just want to remind her that there are good guys around who aren’t going to go off with their best friends as soon as they fuck. Oh, don’t look at me like that, I know you know. Oikawa can’t keep his mouth shut, and we don’t particularly mind. Makki’s actually a little worried that she thinks she turned us gay or something stupid like that.” His laugh was loud.

“ _What_?”

“Well, if two guys take you home, sleep with you, and then decide that they'd actually rather be just sleeping with each other instead, I mean, I guess if you weren’t terribly confident in yourself, you might feel like you weren't any good?”

“Hmm.”

“She is though.”

“Huh?”

“Good in bed.”

“Don’t.”

“What?”

“Don’t! I don’t want to know.”

“Are you _sure_ , Kuroo? You’re not even thinking about it?”

He grimaced. “Of _course_ I’m thinking about it, you dick,” he hissed, “but I am trying _not_ to. She’s … Ugh, it’s so cheesy to say, but I think she's really something special? I joke around, I flirt, but I’m really kind of nervous around her. It's very different for me. I want to ask her out on a proper date with me. See if we can work out. I want to be a gentleman.”

“Sometimes the woman who likes a gentleman _also_ wants a freak in the sheets.”

“You _really_ want to tell me about your sexual misadventures with the woman I’m trying to date?”

“I mean, I would if you ask-”

“Oh my god, _no_. Stop. I want…” He dropped his head back, regretting his slightly shameful words as soon as they were uttered. “I want to find out for myself.” Honesty was the best course of action, right?

Matsukawa was grinning at him by the time he opened his eyes again, shrugging slightly. “Okay then."

“That’s the end of it?”

“That’s the end of it.”

Matsukawa looked like he was trying to hold in his laughter. He clapped Kuroo on the shoulder and headed to the dance floor to meet his former captain, who was gesturing wildly at Iwaizumi and Daichi and Suga. As he turned, he saw Hanamaki, shoving a very red-faced Terushima past him in the same direction, pausing as he stepped even with Kuroo.

“She’s too good for you, okay?”

“Yeah. Agreed.”

“But she’s pretty smitten for some reason. Don’t fuck it up, Roosterhair.”

“I’ll do my best, Pinkhair.”

Hanamaki cracked a smile. “She’s waiting for you to come back.”

“Right. Okay. Cool.”

Hanamaki nodded in response and leaned in close, wickedness across his sharp features. “Have you found her first tattoo yet? Next round is on me if you find a way to sneakily report back to me. I’ll be able to verify whether or not you’ve actually found it.”

Kuroo’s mouth went dry and his ears turned red. Hanamaki laughed at his expression, moving away with a salute. “There’s four!” he yelled back at Kuroo as he dashed over to join his boyfriend and former teammates and rivals.

Kuroo tried to breathe. _Shit_. She was not wearing a lot of clothes and he thought he’d only glimpsed one maybe, earlier when she was dancing.

“Hey,” Emily welcomed him back as he slid in close and plopped their drinks on the table. “I hope Hiro wasn’t rude. Hanamaki, I mean.” He felt his face flush. “Oh no. What did he say, Kuroo?”

“Nothing bad.”

“What did he say? They’ve been teasing me and everyone else all night. It’s fine, I can take it. Plus, if he was mean, I can go punch him.”

Her eyes were huge, looking at him with concern. At least she was aware her weirdly protective new friends were total dicks.

“He, uh, asked me if I’d found any of your tattoos yet, and offered to buy a round if I told him where they were.” He watched her skin flush scarlet, completely enamored with her interesting bouts of shyness and embarrassment after having also seen her be bold and confident and sharp-tongued, which was also definitely attractive.

“Jesus, they are _unrelenting_. He came over here to try to give me a key to his apartment. Said he’d go to Matt’s hotel tonight instead, 'just in case you’re too eager and can’t make the trip back to yours.’ Like I don’t live 20 minutes away. _Then_ that tongue guy came over and offered to give me my 'first taste of metal' and Hiro kindly informed him it’d be the second. When Tongue-guy asked about it, Hiro just winked at him and stuck his very _unpierced_ tongue out. It took a second before the guy caught on. Absolutely mortifying when he went red and looked back and forth between us.” Mortified or not, they were both laughing now.

“Terushima deserves it, though. I don’t,” he smiled innocently.

“I _told_ you that you got off easy with Oikawa. Hiro and Matt take it as far as actual torment. I wouldn’t put it past them to like, try to throw a banana peel in front of you or to glue your ass to your seat so that you were so embarrassed you could never see anyone in this bar ever again.”

Her laugh was perfect. She was smitten, Hanamaki had said. With _him_. Kuroo thought he was deep into smitten-territory himself. 

“ _So._ ”

“So what?”

He turned in the booth, trying to hide her from view of the rest of the bar with his large body. “So tell me where the first one is.”

He leaned in close enough to hear her inhale sharply. She smelled nice. What was that perfume? Or maybe it was soap? He wanted to know. Did he still smell okay? He hoped he wasn't gross. He watched her face, satisfied with the way she turned red at his proximity and his words. She took a big gulp of her drink. When she set it down again, she moved her hand to his, pulled it off the table, and used his pointer finger to stroke behind her left ear, featherlight. He met her eyes, watching closely.

“Okay. Second one?”

“Down my spine.”

He exhaled slowly, trying to control the urge he had to unzip the little black dress and look at it. A much stronger urge than to see the one behind her ear, for some reason.

“Third?”

There was a short pause, then she moved his hand away from her ear and dragged it slowly, sensually down along the side of her neck to the center of her chest. She tapped his finger right between her breasts over her dress and then dragged it along the underside of her right breast to her side. She let go of his hand. 

It suddenly felt 100 degrees hotter and harder to breathe. He swallowed, wrapping his arm behind her to rest his hand on her side, lightly stroking against the fabric of her dress. He barely eked out his next question in a whisper.

“Fourth?”

She flushed even darker than before. Her eyes darted around the bar, and he felt himself get more excited. He was pretty certain that he’d seen it before. Her hand dropped to the hem of her dress and inched it up her leg while he followed her movement with his eyes. Slowly, several lines began to appear on the outside of her thigh. As she revealed more of her milky skin, the lines trailed up and around to the top of the leg, where she’d stopped alarmingly close to the joint of her hip and thigh, to reveal an assortment of wildflowers tied with a ribbon - a bouquet.

Kuroo swiftly dropped his free hand to her leg and led two of his fingertips along the dark lines. She shivered. He groaned quietly, moving his hand away to her jaw and bringing her face close.

“You’re going to fucking kill me, Emily,” he growled lowly. “I’m actually going to die over here, just from that.”

She let out a breathy laugh, feeling drunker than she was. “Should I be sorry?”

“Oh, you’ll be sorry, alright.”

His lips were suddenly on her skin, pressing softly along the curve of her neck. She smelled so good. Warm, smoky, and slightly sweet, like a fireplace and spice and vanilla. Roasting marshmallows. He let his teeth drag along from where her neck met her shoulder. He placed a sweet kiss on the very top of her shoulder and leaned back, watching her chest quickly rise and fall with her shallow breaths.

She turned a mischievous smile on him. "Oh? Weird. I don't feel particularly apologetic about anything."

Kuroo chuckled against her shoulder and began to plant soft, open-mouthed kisses on her, trailing his way up to her ear and back down again. He rested his mouth on her neck, enjoying the reassurance he felt from the heat pulsing off of her blushed skin and up against his face. Nuzzling the side of her neck, Kuroo kissed her skin, gently kneading it with his lips and nipping at it with his teeth. Her gasp made his arousal spike and he tongued the same spot, squeezing her body closer against his chest. 

"Sorry yet?"

"Maybe?" she let out in a rushed breath. 

"I hope you know how badly I want to bring you home so I can freely touch and kiss my way around all of you." He heard her sharp inhale, felt her hand grab into the fabric of his sweater. He almost couldn't believe that these words were coming out of his mouth. But her responses were egging him on, pride and confidence swelling up inside of his chest. "I don't want to let anyone else see you while I make you pant like this. Just from my fingers and my lips." 

He reached around with his free hand to stroke behind her ear where he now knew her first tattoo was. He kept his touch feather light and slid his fingertips along her jaw. Her skin felt so soft and so smooth, and he hooked his thumb on her chin and gently tilted her face towards his. Was it wrong to have a first kiss in a bar? Did it matter, if he’d already put his mouth on her silky skin?

Their eyes met, and he watched hers flutter closed as he asked, “Can I ki-”

The sound of glass shattering cut across the room and they both flinched. He glanced up and saw her eyes were wide open again. He jerked around, looking for the source of the noise out of habit before realizing it really wasn’t important. Emily was breathing out slowly, eyes closed again as she calmed down. Okay, mood totally destroyed. This was fine. This was probably for the best. He had even told Matsukawa up front that he wanted to … pursue her, or something. He didn’t want to rush into some heated night together that caused the end of things. He fought back the stupid feeling that congratulated him on his self-control and reminded him that he needed to be different from her previous evening, that he needed to be memorable, to set himself apart. And so, Kuroo let go of her jaw and took her hand, leaning back a bit.

“Maybe,” he cleared his throat. “Maybe it’s a good thing that reminded us where we are.”

“Yeah, maybe,” she laughed weakly. “Probably embarrassing to make out with the girl you know slept with your friends last night.” She jolted at the bitterness lacing her own words, cringing. “Ah, no, I mean-”

“That’s not it at all.” He frowned, stroking his thumb over her hand.

“Right. Sorry. That was rude, you haven’t do-”

“I want to do things carefully,” he interrupted. Ah, there, her eyes were on him again now. Obviously surprised, but he could work with that. “I’m not great at figuring out relationships and how they work. I’m not bothered that you went home with Matsukawa and Hanamaki last night.”

“Really?”

“ _Really_.”

Just keep breathing. Honesty was the route he wanted to take, right? He’d been honest with her and everyone else so far tonight, and she’s already heard as much from Hinata at least in passing.

“I don’t have much experience dating. Hinata mentioned it. I’ve hooked up with people before, it’s pretty normal to do so, I think. No one’s ever really captured my interest in a way that made me want to … Oh boy, this is really going for it, I guess. Well, you know, I’m a pretty straightforward person, I suppose.”

She laughed. “What are you talking about, Kuroo?”

“I’m talking about what dating is supposed to be, I guess. That’s what everyone always says. I never met anyone who made me feel like I wanted to constantly touch them, in all sorts of ways. I already said as much, sort of. I want to touch you _that_ way,” God, was he 14, like Oikawa had said? “but I also want to just, like, hold your hand and know how that feels, too. I have all these things I want to learn about you little by little. Like, what’s your middle name, and your favorite color, and your favorite food, and are there any recordings of you playing music, and just…” He exhaled. “ _Everything_ seems like it’s important to learn.”

Her face was scarlet, and he found it very endearing. He apparently hadn’t struck out, even if she’d been ready to bolt a moment ago. He thought for a moment while she stared at him, squeezing his hand surreptitiously.

“I sound like I’m still in 3rd year of middle school,” he chuckled, embarrassed, swallowing his pride.

“No! No, I just feel like my face is going to combust and I don’t know what to say.”

“I just want to put on the brakes for a moment and let myself enjoy feeling excited to see you again and I want to anticipate our first date and our first kiss. I never really had that before, and it’s _wild_ to me, but it’s already there, I think, bubbling underneath everything!”

“That’s really sweet, Kuroo.”

“I _do_ sound like a teenager,” he groaned, leaning his head back to clunk lightly against the booth seating. “I’m so embarrassed. Didn’t even need your new besties to torment me into it. I just walked right in there.”

She was giggling. “Nah. Thanks for saying it, even though it was embarrassing. Besides, I think I’d be in a lot of trouble if you were a teenager.” She was teasing him now, a wry smile across her red lips. Next she was tapping at his side, trying to get out of the seat to grab her jacket and bag. Five minutes later, her number was in his phone and he had promised to give her goodbyes to the rest of the reunion-makers.

Kuroo reached out carefully and held her face in his big palms, rubbing her cheeks with his thumb. Shit, was she beautiful or what, blushing for him and looking up at him with her eyes all sparkly like that. She shot him a smile and stood on her toes to brush her lips against his cheek, untangling herself.

“Don’t make me wait too long, okay?”

\---

Emily was _giddy_ , rushing down the street and relishing in the crisp air that was finally giving her stupid overheated face some relief. She sent off a text to Makki and Mattsun as soon as she’d rounded the corner, letting them know everything was fine but that she wanted to sneak away and let them enjoy the rest of their evening with their friends without making a huge deal of it. She couldn’t fight the smile away, even as she drew further and further away from the bar and Kuroo. The ringtone of her phone startled her out of her reminiscing about the way his warm hands felt on her skin and how his sneaky grin while he teased her had made her heart race.

“Hello?”

“Hey.”

“Kuroo? Did I forget something?”

“No.”

“Okay. You could have texted me to give me your number, you know.”

“No. I had to call."

What a goof. She was laughing again.

“I had to call and ask if you’re free tomorrow. Will you go on a proper date with me?”

She came to an abrupt halt, confused, more giggles escaping.

“What happened to slowing things down a bit to savor your excitement?”

“12 hours suddenly seems long enough to wait to see you again from where I’m sitting. Stop laughing! I need to know your answer _right_ _now_ so that I can start anticipating the hours til we meet again as soon as possible and get maximum levels of savoring done until then.”

“Make it at least 15 hours and I’ll say yes.”

“Perfect. Text me when you get home.”

“Sure. See you tomorrow.”

“Can’t wait.”


	3. The Fluffmonster invades.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kuroo seeks out the best hype-man and calm-man duo in Japan to prepare for his date with Emily, which goes exceedingly well.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the end. Thank you for joining me on my stupid Kuroo fluff adventure. :)

"Bro." 

" _Bro_." He met Bokuto's raised hand with one of his own, meeting it with a _slap_! 

Akaashi's eyeroll across the room was practically audible, but Kuroo laughed anyway as he entered the small foyer. As soon as Emily had left the bar the night before, he'd rushed over to Akaashi and Bokuto and begged to visit their apartment the following day in anticipation of his date, primarily as a way to manage his nerves. If anyone could hype him up to peak confidence levels, it was Bokuto. And if anyone could remind him to keep a cool head, it was Akaashi. Their advice was often best taken as a combo dose if someone wanted to be an actual _reasonable_ human being. 

"Welcome, Kuroo. Drink?" 

"Just some water, thanks. Is it okay if I... take over your kitchen?" Kuroo was holding up two small bags, face the picture of innocence as he fluttered his eyelashes at them.

" _Yes! Please!"_

"You're not even going to ask what he wants, are you?" 

"I'd let him melt every single one of our pots if he asked to, Keiji."

Although Bokuto’s fiance did not look impressed, Kuroo yelped another " _Bro_!" and gave him a second high five as Akaashi muttered under his breath. 

"Thank you. I promise to be careful. I think if I did this at home I'd be too much in my own head and end up making a mess." 

"As long as you recognize that any mess you make here is something that _you_ will clean up."

Akaashi slid into a bar stool along the counter and peered over to watch Kuroo pull groceries out of the bags. Rice, seaweed, eggs, a small filet of salmon. Half a watermelon. 

Bokuto was fidgeting next to Kuroo, reaching out for the little boxes with bows. Kuroo slapped his hand. "No! Those are for dessert, I don't want them to get ruined!" 

Bokuto pouted and busied himself getting the other kitchen items that his friend would need to create his onigiri and cook his salmon. He settled in with his own cutting board and knife to start slicing up the watermelon in small cubes to help. 

"So what's the plan? Picnic?"

"Mhm. We'll meet at that cafe with all the indoor plants just by Ikebukuro Station to grab coffees and then head to the park nearby. I've got a little blanket in the other bag." He was dumping an inordinate amount of rice into the cooker. He grinned at Akaashi's raised eyebrows. "Figure I'll make some extras for you two, I know how you are about onigiri. I booked tickets for the 7pm planetarium show in Sunshine as well." 

"That sounds great! Lots of different things, that's good, right Keiji?"

"I think so. Plenty of time to talk, plenty of things to point out or focus on if things become awkward." 

Kuroo groaned, snapping the lid down. "It will be awkward, won't it? I'm sure she's already regretting it."

"No way would she regret it, man! She should consider herself _lucky_ that you asked her out." Hype-Bro-Bokuto was on his game.

"Have you talked to her today?" 

"Yeah, I called her to give her directions to the cafe where we're meeting." 

"And did she _say_ she didn't want to meet you today?"

"Well, no..."

"Then you simply can't know, Kuroo. You don't read minds." Calm-Mentor-Akaashi was also on his game. Bokuto was trying to give Akaashi a sly thumbs up and failing at it, if Kuroo's goofy smile was anything to go by.

"I guess not."

"Why are you worried?"

"I just... what if I'm rushing things?"

"Rushing? How so?" 

"Well, maybe I misread my feelings last night. We _were_ drinking. And maybe she just went along with it because she had been drinking, too. It could be really awkward this afternoon. Maybe I'm being too optimistic by planning a whole evening." 

"No. You're not. Stop."

"Bo, that's not helpful."

"But he has to! That's no way to think about things. What's the point in being negative and worried about it?" 

"I don't disagree with you, but that's not how feelings work. You know that better than anyone, right?" Bokuto huffed and came around the counter, wrapping his arms around Akaashi and resting his head on his shoulder, pouting. "Feelings are fine, being nervous is fine. But if it is really uncomfortable you have two options, Kuroo: Send us a sneaky text to call and get you out of there, or see it through to the end and be honest about not having an interest in a second date. She's an adult, she'll be fine. Just like you will also be fine if at the end of the night you think everything has gone great and it turns out that she doesn't feel the same way." 

"Yeah! 'Kaashi's right. Plus, we saw the two of you last night. No way that was all just a result of alcohol." 

Kuroo felt himself blushing red and turned around to hide his smile while he began searing the side of the salmon. 

"Thanks, you two. I'm lucky you're my friends." 

"Broooooo," Bokuto whined. "That's so _cute_! Girls like it when you're genuine and emotional!"

Kuroo snorted. "Yeah? How would you know?"

"Keiji's sister complains about the men she dates not being up front with their feelings!"

Kuroo laughed. This was definitely the right move, coming to their place to prepare the food. He felt calmer about going to meet her again. The worst case scenario wasn't the end of the world, and even if they didn't feel the same physical attraction, they could be friends. 

"What did you do on your first date, again?"

Bokuto was excitedly gesturing and talking before Akaashi could get a word in edgewise. "I took Keiji to get ice cream! He already agreed to be my boyfriend by then, but we went across the city to a shop that had the best reviewed taro ice cream and I wanted to try it! We went after a Saturday practice, and we listened to music, shared my earbuds on the way there and back! It was cute! Right, Keiji?" 

"Yes, very cute, Kou." 

"So maybe you should take her for ice cream after the planetarium!"

"If it goes well."

"It'll go fine, even friends go for ice cream, right? So it doesn't _have_ to be... _sexy_ ice cream, or anything."

"I don't think ice cream is ever sexy." 

"You've never watched Keiji lick an ice cream cone then becau-"

" _Stop. No. No."_ Kuroo covered his ears and eyes, making a pained face. "Please no. Not images I ever wanted in my brain."

Akaashi indulged his fiance with a smirk, tilting his head at Kuroo suggesting 'watch this', as Kuroo let his hands down and reopened his eyes.

"Doesn't mean you wouldn't find getting an ice cream to be a sexy experience if _she_ were the one licking it while watching you." 

Kuroo flushed red as he suddenly imagined it. 

"Taking a long, slow lick from the bottom to the top."

He could see it in his mind, her dark eyes watching him while she ate the ice cream. 

"It'll melt too fast and she'll slurp it up. She'll have to lick her lips when they get all sticky."

Kuroo clamped his lips together and tried to disguise the sharp inhale through his nose when his mind's eye drew up the image of her tongue slipping out to drag over her lips, pouting at having made a bit of a miss. It was alarmingly vivid and he suddenly worried that any second his fantasy would warp and he'd be imagining her face against his hips while her mouth and tongue were working on him, wrapping around-

"Then a nice, big chomp off the tip."

He cringed fiercely. He couldn't ignore Bokuto's cackles and Akaashi's snickering, both clearly very proud of themselves.

Regrets. Kuroo immediately had so many regrets about coming here prior to his date.

\---

She was nervous. Very nervous. She and Kuroo had had good chemistry the night before, sure, but that was at a bar after she was a few drinks in, after she had already been worn down by the Aoba Johsai grads to loosen up a bit. He had kissed her neck last night, so he was clearly interested at the time. He had even called her as soon as she left in order to ask her on a date. What if he saw her now, both of them sober, and decided to hie for the hills? What if the afternoon became so painfully awkward she needed to text Makki while she snuck away in the bathroom so that she could pick up his emergency call? 

"Hey. Fancy seeing you here."

Emily whirled around at his voice, grabbing at the fabric of her skirt to steady her hands. She let her eyes take him in, flustered at how handsome he seemed in that sweater and jeans, a crooked grin across his face as he enjoyed his own clichéd joke. She turned pink and tried to fight off a reciprocal grin, using whatever might she had under her control to pull off a roll of the eyes. 

"Nice one."

He cackled at her expression and before she'd caught it, he'd leaned in to kiss her cheek, moving by just as quickly to open the door to the shop for her. He encouraged her in, waving with a flourish. 

"After you, Emily." 

"Thanks, Kuroo. How were you feeling this morning?" 

"I've had worse hangovers. You?" 

"Nothing!" She grinned, rubbing it in. "Some of us are just lucky, I guess!"

"More like you left two hours before me, but whatever you want to tell yourself, kid." 

"How old do you think I am, Kuroo? I might be older than you."

"Doubtful. I'm the old crone here. What do you want, by the way? Coffee? Tea?" 

"No, let me get it! You've already prepared the rest." 

"I invited you out in the first place. I'll get you your drink." 

"No," she whined, pulling at his arm gently. "Let me. I want to." He frowned. "It would make me happy." 

"Fine." 

"Thank you, Old Crone-san." She winked and ordered soy lattes for them, figuring it was easy enough on the stomach for late afternoon than espressos. 

"I might make my colleagues start calling me that now. It has a good ring to it." 

"I still think you're underestimating how old I am."

Emily put her hands on her hips while they waited, huffing jokingly. Suddenly Kuroo's face was in front of hers, his pretty hazel eyes examining her closely. His eyelashes were long, curling against the top of his cheek. She went pink for the second time in the past five minutes, looking down at their feet and tucking some invisible stand of hair behind her ear again. 

"I'll say," Kuroo paused for a moment, tapping his chin. "25. Ok, no, not 25, based on that giant grin. Well, you can't be older, certainly. So, younger?" He led her out of the cafe, nodding his thanks for holding their drinks as he got the door. Then they headed to the park. 

"28." 

"No!" he gasped. "No way."

She was laughing. "I've got a baby face, I can't help it! I really am, though. Told you you were underestimating." 

"Shit, should I be calling you Emily-san?"

"Please don't," she wrinkled her nose. "The honorifics make me uncomfortable, so does the use of last names for so long. It's why I just always introduce myself as Emily. But anyway, how old are you, then, Baby Old Crone-san?" 

He was grinning at her, lopsided as ever, and Emily could feel the butterflies darting around her stomach, acting like she wasn't a woman in her late 20's who had been in relationships before. What was it about Kuroo? She couldn't put her finger on it. It was strange, exciting. 

"26. But I'll be 27 soon."

"When?"

"November."

She snorted a laugh in surprise. "That's 8 months away, Kuroo..."

"Sooner than 9 months." He grinned. "When's your birthday?" 

"May. So I'd call that properly 'soon,' for your information." 

"Semantics!" 

\----

He was itching to hold her hand, pull her closer. The way she laughed was cute, head thrown back and eyes nearly shut. She'd even snorted a moment ago. It was _charming_ and he didn't know why. At least he hadn't needed to fear that he had found her attractive last night only thanks to the alcohol. 

She was the picture of enchanting femininity, wrapped up in a cream colored cardigan with a long emerald skirt cinched at her waist. He'd watched her closely as she ordered and they waited, trying to discreetly peek for the tattoo behind her ear. A tiny bird. Her earrings were also birds. Swallows, maybe? As they waited for the crosswalk light, he tentatively reached a finger out and brushed against the tattoo. 

"Kuroo!" She was as red as he'd seen her. He grinned, pleased with himself. "What are you doing?"

"Just noticed it. You mentioned it last night, but I didn't have the chance to properly see. It's neat. Kind of hidden there. Do you like birds?" 

She hummed. "I suppose so, yes." 

"Don't tell Bokuto and Akaashi. They love owls. Have all these owl-themed trinkets at their place, too." They were crossing into the park now, and his eyes were darting to find a good spot: Close enough to a tree to get some shade and avoid a sunburn, but close enough to the edge of the shadow that they'd be able to enjoy the late afternoon sun if it were a bit chilly. Over there! 

"Cute," she laughed. "It's more about their symbolism than actually liking birds. Not that I dislike them, I think they're perfectly cool and all, especially hawks and owls! But I'm not someone who like, went out at 4am with binoculars to go see them, or who learned bird calls or anything." She toed off her short boots and stepped onto the blanket, stretching her legs out in front of her. 

"Nice socks," Kuroo smirked at the cats in space-suits. "What's the symbolism then? Tell me more." 

" _Catstronauts_ ," she proffered in English. He looked at her, confused "Uh, well, ok, nevermind. Just a bad pun in English. Anyway, I like the freedom and all they represent, being unbound. Taking off and succeeding, soaring higher and higher. That sort of stuff." 

"Thank you for the coffee, again." He took a long sip, eyeing her. "So, flowers on your thigh, the bird behind your ear. What about the others?" 

Oh man, did he want to see the other two.

"Did you get your round of drinks from Hiro?"

"I did, actually." Hanamaki had gotten a round for everyone present when Kuroo had walked up to him and smirked, telling him quietly where they were. "He said it wasn't fair that I had just asked you instead of 'finding' them for myself, but acknowledged that he had not actually specified _how_ I had to acquire the information. Pinky is a total troll, but he's an honest one, at least." 

They laughed for a bit as Kuroo handed out their onigiri and unpacked the watermelon. 

"Stop holding out on me, Emily!" he teased. "I'm already halfway! What are the other two tattoos?"

Her smile was altogether far more wicked than he had been anticipating. 

"I can't say." 

"Why not?" 

"Don't need to roll your eyes like that, Kuroo. I _could_ say, but I'm choosing not to."

"Why _not_?I ask, definitely not whining about it like a baby," Kuroo took the tone of a narrator.

"You _are_ a baby, you 26-year-old." She grinned at his pout. "I just think that it's better if you find out later."

"Why? I ask, definitely not exasperated, and definitely not a baby."

"Well, you already know where they are." He nodded. "I have changed my mind, after hearing what Hiro said." He blinked slowly. "Will flirting get me nowhere, Kuroo? Come on! One is down my spine, the other curves under my breast." 

He flushed in an automatic response to her own red cheeks. "Oh, I'm definitely trying to flirt here, but I don't know how it's landing, exactly. Not well, I guess. I already knew that that's where they were, you know, you told me last night." 

"I _mean_ that I think that you 'finding' them is an... _intriguing_ _idea_ and that that is not an appropriate activity for a public park this afternoon."

 _Oh_. Kuroo thought his heart stopped for a moment. _Fuck._

_\----_

He gaped at her. She tried to not cover her face with her hands out of embarrassment over how forward she'd been and lasted all of 6 seconds. His mouth had been slightly open and his cheeks were red enough that she felt her own shyness and embarrassment double down and intensify. _Way_ too forward for a half-hour into their first date. 

She let him pull her hands down a moment later, enjoying how warm they felt. As someone who tended to always feel a bit chilly, it was nice to feel that heat.

"Oh. Wow. Uh." She watched him swallow hard. "Holy _shit_ , Emily, _yes_. Do not tell me what they are then." He was squeezing her fingers in reassurance. She could feel his eyes darting down her body, before they met hers again. She felt like she had been laid bare just from his golden stare. 

"Shit. I certainly didn't expect to be praising Hanamaki's name to the heavens this afternoon, but here we are." 

Emily fell into giggles again, snorting lightly and letting her nerves slide away. She munched on onigiri. "What do you think about tattoos, Kuroo? I know they're kind of taboo here, more so than in the USA." 

"Well, I think they're probably way hotter than I ever imagined thanks to our conversations last night and 30 seconds ago." 

She threw a chopstick at him and laughed at the horrorstruck face he made in response as it hit him in the chest. 

"Good luck eating the watermelon with one chopstick, _old lady_." 

"You do not want me to stick my whole hand in there, Kuroo, give me back the chopstick. Thank you. I _meant_ , would you ever get one, do you think?" 

He shrugged. "Maybe. I don't really have anything I think I'd want on my body permanently."

"Not even... a volleyball, or something?"

"Nah."

"A nice big heart that says 'Mom' through it?" He looked scandalized. "What? It's a _thing,_ I swear! Google it later." 

"So _that's_ what's under your tits then, got it. Way to spoil the surprise."

She snorted again and threw her hands over her mouth. How unflattering. 

"Don't be embarrassed. It's cute." 

Why was he like this? She felt totally out of control, her heart just flailing around any time he said anything remotely flattering or flirtatious. Maybe it was the stupid messy hair and the way it hid part of his eye, or his broad shoulders, or, or, or who knows what about him! It was kind of frustrating, as fun as it was to feel excited and nervous in the best possible ways around someone again. She took a big bite of her onigiri to avoid responding. He just chuckled. 

"Should I go for a nice molecular structure of something? I _do_ like chemistry."

"Nerd!" she exclaimed, dragging out the word. 

"Oh, right, as if you're not, _Miss Visiting Lecturer at the_ _University of Tokyo._ Also, how dare you judge another person's tattoo!"

"Just because someone has a tattoo doesn't mean it can't be bad. I'm not some weird 'all tattoos are good tattoos' purist or something."

"Hmm. Maybe a nice big panda on my bicep. No? Word in another language that doesn't mean what I think it means? Better? Okay, let's talk about where then."

"Ankle? You should see the face you just made, hah! Okay, maybe... shoulder? Neck? Chest?" 

\----

They had gotten these neat cushion seats at the planetarium, meaning they were laying down looking up at the projected stars while they waited for the show to start. It was fun, like their picnic had just gone on and on, and neither had wanted to leave til the early morning hours, so they now watched the stars twinkle in a clear sky - a near impossibility in the center of Tokyo. Best of all, the cushions were spaced out well, so they could pretend they weren't in a room full of people. It would change in a moment as the show began, but for now, Kuroo was willing to pretend it was just the two of them, holding hands outside and looking at the stars.

"It's neat, isn't it?" Emily interrupted his daydream. 

"What is?" he whispered back. She was looking over at him. 

"The stars. How they look to us. How big space is. That the universe just goes on and on. That we're so tiny."

"Most people find it alarming, I guess. They think it makes them insignificant." 

"I don't disagree, but I take comfort in it, for some reason. Being small, being insignificant. I don't think that's a bad thing. I think it's seriously flawed to think otherwise, to think humans are some great important thing. I think we're just a coincidence. What about you?" 

He frowned, thinking. It wasn't _significance_ that he thought about when he looked at the stars and thought about space. It wasn't the role of humans in the universe, or the likelihood of aliens that captured his imagination - a reminder to himself to never bring Oikawa here. 

"It reminds me of connections. Being connected. I don't know if I believe in God or Fate or Luck or anything but science, but maybe you can have multiple belief systems at once. Who knows? I'm usually not too concerned, anyway. But I think if you're not relying on those things, then you're making your life for yourself and for others, and that that is an important and valuable contribution to your relationship with yourself, and with others." He paused. "Maybe I'm just spewing literal nonsense, I don't even know what I'm trying to say." 

"I like it. It's important to work towards outcomes for you, not because someone else has designed you that way or you were always meant to do that. But you're right, who knows. I kind of like thinking that there's all these split off parallel sort of universes, and all these other lives that have happened, and all these lives that _haven't_ happened - it's just coincidence that we're here right now. Not that that's bad," she rushed to continue, "I mean it's a coincidence, but I appreciate that it is. It's good. I'm happy. I'm glad you asked me to go out so soon." She cleared her throat. "I, uh, I know we just met. But like, you being so straightforward and honest with me last night makes me want to be too, you know? So, it’s a little embarrassing, but I think I really like you already, Kuroo." 

She squeezed his hand. Her smile was soft, sweet. Kuroo had held her hand the whole trip from the park to this moment, glad to connect to her physically. Now he wanted to kiss her. He had thought about kissing a lot in the past 24 hours, and spent an embarrassing amount of time before he'd passed out in his bed last night imagining how her lips would feel against him. He'd gone positively mushy and embarrassed, eager to find out if she would be as soft as he dreamed up. He had told her he wanted to go a little slowly, to cherish the unusual feelings he had, but he also really, _really_ wanted to kiss her already. He felt the same strange combination of excitement and nerves and self-consciousness and desire that he had when he'd been drinking. Everything was going as well as it could be. She was so...

He opened his mouth to ask to kiss her at the same moment the announcer began requesting they all turn off their phones and the lights began to dim. He let out a quiet sigh of frustration before pulling her hand to his mouth, placing a gentle kiss against her skin in response to her confession. Then, he held it to his chest, wondering if she could somehow feel his heart racing. 

She snuggled in closer against his side for the show and Kuroo couldn't stop the grin on his face. He pulled her hand up to his mouth to kiss it every so often. 

40 minutes later, the lights above them zoomed out to show a strange scene that felt like a line drawing, masking the alarming nature of the structure of the universe itself, clusters of matter, atoms, galaxies, connected by thin lines. Kuroo turned his head to watch Emily instead, eyeing the point of her nose and fullness of her lips. 

"Hey, Emily." 

The lights reflected in her eyes when she turned her face to him and inched closer. 

"Hmm?" 

"Can I kiss you?" He breathed out. His face was getting warm and he hoped against hope she wasn't able to see him blush shyly. 

"Please," she exhaled softly, her eyes closing. 

He felt like an overeager teenager, just like the night before, wrapped up in his stupid hormones and the butterflies flapping animatedly in his stomach and the whole way up to his throat. Maybe if he opened his mouth they'd fly out into the expansive room, maybe they'd swirl around them like some stupid CGI scene in a movie. Maybe the stupid 24 hours he'd waited was worth it, just for the slow build of anticipation and crash of excitement that swept through him, threatening to completely overtake his logical brain every second longer that he waited. Breathing deep, Kuroo leaned in and pressed his mouth to hers, closing his eyes only after he was sure he wouldn't miss. 

A hand was squeezing his own tightly, holding on as lips pulled away. Maintain contact somehow, his head screamed. Maintain contact! He pushed forward again to kiss her a second time, letting his lips push and pull at hers gently. Until after a few moments of feeling the pressure, he was suddenly not wanting to be gentle anymore. It was uncomfortable - the way he was flat on his back, his neck twisted, his hand clinging to hers and probably making it too clammy to keep up for much longer if he wanted to seem like an actual calm human being who had at least innocently held hands before. And he was! He'd done plenty more than hold hands. He was just so nervous, so eager for this woman to be feeling as jumbled as he was. 

Tilting onto his side, his hand came around to cup her face, the pad of his long middle finger stroking the bird he now knew to find. The movement worked like a secret key, Emily's lips parting for him to lick around and pull lightly at the plump skin with his teeth. A tiny whimper he did _not_ imagine shot from his ears through straight to his abdomen and automatically made him tighten his grip on her jaw, encouraging it to open and allow him further into her warm, wet mouth. He exhaled hard through his nose. More, more. This was _awesome_.

"Thank you all for attending our _family-friendly_ show this evening. _Especially_ those of you... enjoying our specialty couch seating in the center of the room." 

What even- His eyes opened slowly, frustrated that she had pulled back from him so suddenly. 

He winced.

The lights blared down at them, night sky gone. The show had ended and he'd not even realized it, apparently. A dozen other audience members alternately looked to the pair that had been scolded and looked away, wilting under secondhand embarrassment.

An alarming noise came from out of his sightline. 

"Oh my god," Emily muttered. "Oh my god." She was now red as a tomato and burrowing her face in his chest, trying desperately to hide.

His heart was racing. 

Sitting up and pulling her up with him gently, Kuroo couldn't keep the cheeky grin off of his face as he looked at her. "That was _out of this world_." She snorted in response and he felt very, very pleased with himself. 


End file.
